December, 2020: Silungai B Community, Tali Saya Spring Project Complete!

Silungai B Community now has access to clean water! Tali Saya Spring has been transformed into a flowing source of water thanks to your donation. We protected the spring, constructed five sanitation platforms for different households in the community, and trained the community on improved sanitation and hygiene practices, including COVID-19 prevention.

Field Officer Lillian Achineg' (left) and community members celebrate the newly protected spring.

"This water has come in so handy during this COVID-19 season when we are required to wash our hands regularly. I will be able to have water in my home all the time to wash my hands, thus keeping the virus at bay. I am sure of the purity of my drinking water now that it's no longer open to contamination," said Sofa Said, a farmer in the community.

"I will be able to concentrate on my farmwork fully, even till late, knowing that it will only take me seconds to draw water from the spring and go home. Fetching water from the unprotected spring used to consume most of my time," she recalled.

Sofa splashes water while celebrating the spring

Children were just as excited as the adults about the new water point.

"My mother will have peace when we are all free from water-caused diseases. It affects me to see her worried when we don't have money for treatment. Her peace is my peace," said Rebecca, a teenager and a primary school student.

Rebecca

"We have been encouraged to continue studying while at home during this COVID-19 period, but most of my time was consumed by fetching water due to the low discharge. This will change due to the two discharge pipes and the high discharge speed of our new spring. Now I will be able to fetch the water very fast and concentrate on my studies."

Preparing for Spring Protection

Community members worked together to source and carry all locally available construction materials to the spring. These included bricks, sand, stones, and fencing poles. Some people also chiseled away at large stones to break them down into gravel. Because people have to carry most items by hand, the materials collection process can take anywhere from a few weeks to months.

When everything was prepared, we sent a lorry to the community to deliver the rest of the construction materials, including the cement, plastic tarps, and hardware. Then, our artisan and field officers deployed to the spring to begin work. Everyone traveled to and from the work site each day throughout the construction process, so individual households provided meals throughout the day to sustain the workers.

Community members mix construction materials for the artisan's use

The last step before construction commenced was taking a water sample from the unprotected spring. We sent the sample to a government laboratory for testing to identify the kinds of contaminants in the water before its protection. These often include fertilizers and pesticides from farms, animal and human feces, and any number of harmful bacteria. We then shared the test results with the community to identify extra steps they could take to help ensure the spring’s water remains clean and safe after protection.

From Open Source to Protected Spring: A Step-by-Step Process

At last, it was time to dig in at the spring! Women and men lent their strength to the artisan each day to help with the manual labor. First, we cleared and excavated the spring area. We dug a drainage channel below the spring and several surface runoff diversion channels above and around the spring—this help to divert the environmental contaminants identified in the pre-construction water quality test.

Excavation is always wet and muddy

To ensure community members could still fetch water throughout the construction process, we also dug temporary diversion channels from the spring’s eye around the construction site. This allowed water to flow without severely disrupting community members’ water needs or the construction work.

A freshwater crab found living in the spring during excavation

Excavation created space for setting the spring’s foundation made of thick plastic tarp, wire mesh, concrete, and waterproof cement. After setting the base, we started brickwork to build the headwall, wing walls, and the stairs.

Brick toss teamwork to pass materials to the artisan

Next, we began one of the most crucial spring protection steps to ensure a fully functional water point: setting the discharge pipe. In this case, we installed two discharge pipes due to the spring's naturally high yield. The discharge pipes have to be set low enough in place in the headwall so that the water level inside never rises above the spring’s eye, yet high enough to leave eighteen to twenty inches between the pipes and the spring floor to allow room for the average jerrycan (a 20-liter container) to sit beneath the pipes without making contact.

Setting the discharge pipes

If the discharge pipes were placed too high above the spring’s eye, too much backpressure could force the flow to emerge elsewhere. Too low, and community members would not be able to access the water easily. We embedded the pipes using clay (or mortar when the clay is in short supply) and placed it at a slight incline to ensure water flows in the right direction.

Plastering the stone pitching into place to form the rub walls

In coordination with brickwork, we pitched medium to large stones on both sides of the spring’s drainage channel. We then cemented and plastered each stone group into place, forming the rub walls. These help to discourage people and animals from trying to stand on that area, which could cause soil erosion and thus a clogged drainage area.

Plasterwork

With brickwork and stone pitching completed, we turned to cement and plaster both sides of the headwall and wing walls. This reinforces the brickwork and prevents water in the reservoir from seeping through the walls. In turn, this builds enough pressure in the reservoir box to push water out through the discharge pipe.

Breaking rocks down for backfilling

As the headwall and wing walls were curing, we cemented and plastered the stairs and installed four tiles beneath the discharge pipe. The tiles protect the concrete from the falling water's erosive force, beautify the spring, and facilitate easy cleaning of the spring floor.

Fitting the tarp

We transitioned to the final stages of construction with the tiles in place - backfilling the reservoir box. First, we cleared the collection box of any debris that may have fallen in since its construction, such as dead leaves or other items. Then we redirected the temporary diversion channels back into the reservoir box, channeling water into this area for the first time. We closed off all of the other exits to start forcing the water through the discharge pipes only.

Backfilling with soil

With much help from the community, we filled up the reservoir area with the clean and large stones they gathered, arranging them in layers like a well-fitting puzzle. We covered the stones with a thick plastic tarp to minimize potential contamination sources from aboveground, followed by a layer of soil. We piled enough soil on top to create a slight mound to compensate for the backfill’s future settlement.

A boy delivers freshly-dug sod to be planted at the spring

Community members transplanted grass onto the backfilled soil to help prevent erosion. Finally, the collection area was fenced to discourage any person or animal from walking on it since compaction can lead to disturbances in the backfill layers and potentially compromise water quality.

Fencing

The entire construction process took about two weeks of work and patience to allow the cement and plaster to finish curing. This spring proved to be a bit complicated during the construction process due to the terrain of the place, but, with the community's help, our skilled artisan was able to maneuver the land with a fantastic outcome of water gushing from two discharge pipes.

Ruth Tali fetches water

The community members gave their all to see this spring protected, so as soon as it was ready, Field Officer Lillian Achineg' gave the okay to the community to begin fetching water. We officially handed over the spring directly following training to mark the community's ownership of the water point. Happiness, thanksgiving, and appreciation were the order of the day, flowing in all directions.

Sanitation Platforms

All five sanitation platforms have been completed and handed over to their new owners. These five families are happy about this milestone of having a private latrine of their own and are optimistic that people will no longer leave waste outdoors. We are encouraging families to finish building walls and roofs over their new latrine floors and other families to replicate the design after having helped construct these examples.

Ruth Tali stands with her family's new sanitation platform

Training on Health, Hygiene, COVID-19 and More

Due to the ongoing challenges and restrictions amidst the pandemic, we worked with both local leaders and the national Ministry of Health to gain approval for a small group training about health, hygiene, and COVID-19 prevention.

With our main contact for the community Mr. Timothy Tali, we found the community’s preferred date for training while considering other events in the community calendar, such as the agricultural season and the national coronavirus-related curfew. We requested a select yet representative group of community members to attend training, relaying the information learned to the rest of their family and friends. When the day arrived, facilitator Lillian Achieng' deployed to the site to lead the event.

Field Officer Lillian Achieng' leads training

15 people attended the training, including local leaders. We conducted the training in an open place near the spring, where the participants sat on the ground under the trees' shade. The location was conducive to physical distancing and enabled easy access to the spring for practical demonstrations and water needs throughout the training. It was particularly chilly that day, but the participants did not complain.

Perhaps the most important topic of the day was our session on COVID-19 prevention and specific guidance in line with national and international standards. There has been tension and panic about the coronavirus in Kenya, so this was a session everyone eagerly participated in, the trainers noted. We covered:

- Information on the symptoms and transmission routes of COVID-19

- What physical distancing is and how to practice it

- How to cough and sneeze into the elbow

- Contactless greetings

- How to make and properly wear a facemask

Lillian (left) demonstrates the ten steps of effective handwashing

Due to the rampant spread of misinformation about COVID-19, we dedicated time to a question and answer session to help debunk rumors about the disease and provide extra information where needed. We also left behind a rice sack painted with messages of COVID-19 prevention reminders in the local language. We affixed the sign to the spring's fence during training and encouraged community members to use it as a daily reminder to stay cautious both at home and at the spring.

COVID-19 was by far the most memorable topic. Despite the virus having been in Kenya since March, some community members still believed that it was a myth and did not come to training wearing a face mask. For those who already believed in the virus, they expected us to have brought more than knowledge to them in the form of soap or sanitizers.

An elder demonstrates the ten steps of handwashing

"The training has really opened my eyes to how serious this COVID-19 disease is. A lot has been said about it, but deep inside, I doubt that it's not real. With you coming all this way to sensitize us on this disease, I have now believed that it's real, and I will now seriously stick to the regulations laid down by our Ministry of Health and follow all you've taught us today," said Sarah Saya, a farmer and mother in the community.

"Many community members - including myself - have been using masks when in public to avoid being arrested by the police and not because they want to protect themselves. Few have been washing their hands, but social distancing has been a dream since people still mingle," Sarah explained.

"After this training, with the availability of plenty of water now, I will ensure my home has a handwashing point with soap. Community members who attended the meeting have seen the importance of avoiding crowded places, and so they will avoid burials and weddings during this pandemic. It's our tradition here to give our deceased a send-off by attending the burial, but we will be careful by sticking to the regulated numbers [of attendees]."

Community members spread out and take notes at training

We covered several other topics, including community participation in the project; leadership and governance; personal and environmental hygiene; water handling and treatment; operation and maintenance of the spring and sanitation platforms; dental hygiene; the ten steps of handwashing, and how to make and use a tippy tap and leaky tin. We held an election for the newly formed water user committee leaders during the leadership and governance session.

We also brainstormed income-generating activities that can be used to start both a community savings account for any future minor repairs to the spring and a cooperative lending group to enable members to develop their own small businesses.

The second most memorable topic was site maintenance. Due to so much joy and appreciation for their protected spring, the community members agreed they would draft a constitution to outline the fines and punishments given to those who would go against the rules put in place for the spring's best management use.

"The training has had a great impact on me, especially on the way I handle my family's drinking water. I've always carried my water in an open container from the spring to the house, not knowing that it could be contaminated on its way home. I've learned that it should always be covered, and that's what I'll do from today henceforth," said Ruth Tali, a farmer in the community.

When an issue arises concerning the water project, the water user committee is equipped with the necessary skills to rectify the problem and ensure the water point works appropriately. However, if the issue is beyond their capabilities, they can contact our field officers' team to assist them. We will also continue to offer them unmatchable support as a part of our ongoing monitoring and maintenance program.

Thank you for making all of this possible!

December, 2020: Silungai B Community, Tali Saya Spring Project Underway!

Dirty water from Tali Saya Spring is making people in Silungai B sick. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to install a clean water point and much more.

Get to know this community through the narrative and pictures we’ve posted, and read about this water, sanitation, and hygiene project. We look forward to reaching out with news of success!